Improvement in cultivators



0. W. EMERSON.

WEEDER AND GULTIVATOR.

,128. Patented Apr. 23, 1861.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

OHAUNCEY W. EMEnson'or ALBANY, NEW roan.

IMPROVEM ENT IN cuLTlvAroas.

specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 32, 28, dated April 3,l$61.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CHAUNcEY WV. EMER- SON, of the city: and county ofAlbany, and

State of New York, have invented" a new and:

improved implement for destroyingand removing weeds growing between rowsof vegetables, and otherwise cultivating and improving the growth ofsaid vegetables; and I do hereby declare that the following is afnll,c-l ear, and exact description thereof, reference being bad to theannexed drawings of the same, making part of this specification.

Figure l is a side elevation of the improved machine. Fig. 2 is a top orbirds-eye view of same with the guiding-handles and other of the upperparts removed to more fully expose the parts claimed to view. Fig. 3 isan elevation of the backpart of the same.

'Where the. same letters occur. in the figures.

they indicate corresponding parts.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I willproceed to describe its construction and operation.

The center beam, A, is provided with handles B for pushing the machineforward and guiding the same, and side beams, C, jointed to its edgesafter the manner ofthe ordinary cultivator, and with a graduating-wheel,D,

arranged between parallel bars E at its forward end, said parallel barshaving two or more sets of openings in them-one above the other-for theadmission of the shaft of the wheel D, and by this means enabling theshaft of the wheel to be readily removed fromone set of openings andinserted in the other set,

for regulating the depth of the cutter in the earth.

At the forward end of the center beam, A, and the rear ends of the sidebeams, O, are secured by keys or in any convenient manner curveduprights F, sharpenedon their forward edges, and having horizontalcutters G, secured by screws or otherwise at their lower ends. Thesecutters G are made slightly convex on their upper surfaces and concaveon their lower parts, and made sharp on their front edges,which edgesahe rought to a point from which their upper surfaces gradually riseabove a horizontal line as they approach the edged portions of theuprights F, for the purpose of raising, the earth at this portion andloosening or breaking it in case it is baked after being wet or in itsusual state. The side and secured on. the lower end of a vertical shaft,K, 1| aving ahand-wheel at its upper end for turning it, andsupportedat'this part by passing through an opening in a bar secured tothe back upright, L, of thecenter beam. By turning the hand-wheel toeither the right or left, the pinion J and racks H will move the sidebeams, C, edged uprights F. keyed to their rear ends, and the sidecutters, secured on the lower ends of said uprights, farther from 'ornearer to each other, so as to bring the saidside cutters to the properrelation to the rows of vegetables between which the machine is to pass,and when they are thus properly set they are secure in theirproperposition by inserting a pin, M, in an opening in the casting I, and inone of the openings of the series formed in the rear segmental rack.

- By employing three cutters for skimming the earth between rows ofvegetables in the manner before stated, they are not only made capable.of adjustment to any width of rows, but they will more effectuallydestroy the Weeds and loosen the earth than the ordinary angigarskim-plow, and be more easily governe in their depth of cut, and lessliable to get out of order.

An adjustable rake, N, is attached to the rear portion of theupright'post L of the center beam, A, the upright portion of which(extending upward at right angles from the horizontal portion to whichthe curved teeth are secured) passes through slots formed be tweencastings O, secured to the upright post L, and the rear surface ofsaidpost being raised and lowered in said mortises at the will of theoperator, and secured at any elevation by a pin, 1?, inserted in anopening in the up per casting, O, and passing through one of thecorresponding openings otthe series formed in the upright handleor shankof the rake. The rake-teeth secured to the horizontal trans- 2 seamsverse bar extend backward from the same, and are curved downward andslightly forward, so as to both pulverize and rake the earth loosened bythe cutters G, and collect and carry forward the weeds, grass, &c., de-.

" stroyed by the said cutters to the ends of the ing the machine to beattached to their front ends.

Having thus fully described the improved weeder and cultivator, what Iclaim therein as new, and desire-to secure by Letters Patcut, is-

The peculiar-formed concave cutters g on the lower ends of the edgeduprights F with the racks H, side beam, 0, standard L, rake N, bars E,and wheels 13, the whole being constructed and arranged for operationconj ointl y as and for the purpose as herein described. 0. WV. EMERSON.lVitncsses:

T. S UIREs, T. MoOAR'rY.

